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Dehydrating meat is an old fashioned way of preserving meat. It makes it convenient to take on long trips, backpacking or hiking since refrigeration is not required and it is much more lightweight than regular meat. Dehydrated meat can be eaten as is, typically referred to as jerky, or reheated with moisture to semi-rehydrate the meat to be added into main dishes. Commonly dehydrated meat includes beef, venison, buffalo, chicken and turkey.

Steps

Method1

Saucepan Method

1

Cut the meat into � inch strips. Trim away all visible fat.

2

Combine the meat with the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and garlic in a large bowl.

3

Cover with plastic wrap if the bowl does not come with a cover and marinate the meat in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat.

4

Place the meat and marinade into a saucepan, turn the stove burner on high and bring to a boil.

5

Boil for 3 to 5 minutes to sanitize the meat before dehydrating.

6

Remove the strips of meat with a pair of tongs and let them drain on paper towels.

Method2

Oven Method

1

Turn the oven on to the lowest setting.

2

Place the strips of meat directly onto the racks, leaving enough space between the strips for air flow.

3

Crack open the oven door 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) to further encourage air flow.

4

Dry the meat anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. The meat is dehydrated when it cracks but does not snap. There should be no moisture present, as this is where bacteria will grow.

Method3

Storage

1

Let the dehydrated meat cool before storing. Place the strips of meat on cooling racks.

2

Put the meat into airtight containers or zip lock bags.

3

Store the dehydrated meat at room temperature for 1 to 2 months or freeze the dehydrated meat for a longer shelf life.

Community Q&A

When you're cooking meat, a saucepan will fry and an oven will roast. Making any meat meal in a saucepan makes the meat dryer and crispier. Making meat in an oven (cooked right) makes it juicier and more tender.

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Article Info

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 9 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 60,112 times.